Assam CM Urges Settlers to List Assamese as Mother Tongue

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has appealed to people from other states who have settled in Assam and adopted the Assamese language and culture to identify Assamese as their mother tongue in the ongoing 2026 Census exercise. Speaking at the Independence Day event, he called the census "crucial" for future policy planning and urged citizens to treat participation as both a duty and responsibility.

The appeal comes amid a long-term decline in the share of Assam's population reporting Assamese as their mother tongue, from 59.53% in 1971 to 48.38% in 2011, even as Bengali and Hindi speaker proportions have risen.

Sarma clarified that indigenous tribal communities should continue identifying their own languages, and that Barak Valley residents should use their own discretion. He reiterated the government's commitment to protecting all indigenous languages while specifically inviting migrants from states like Rajasthan who have embraced Assamese identity to record it as their mother tongue.